Alan Parker Tapped Guest Of Honor At Brussels Fest

PARIS– Following the footsteps of Bertrand Tavernier, British multi-hyphenate Alan Parker (“Midnight Express,””Fame”) will be the guest of honor at Brussels Film Festival.

As a special guest, Parker will open the festival on June 6, and will give a lecture on film and a masterclass on the following day. He will also present “The Commitments,” his 1991 comedy-drama, while his full work – comprising 14 films — will screen at the festival’s Cinematek.

A screenwriter, helmer, composer and producer, Parker has directed many cult films that have shaped American popular culture. Some of his most famed pics include “Bugsy Malone” with Jodie Foster, Oliver Stone-penned “Midnight Express,” winner of two Oscars and four Golden Globes, the cult musical “Fame,” which won two Oscars, and the Gene Hackman-starrer “Mississippi Burning.” His last film, “The Life of David Gale” is a thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a prominent activist against the capital punishment who gets framed for a murder and finds himself on Death Row in Texas.

“For several years now, the Brussels Film Festival pays special attention in its program to music, with our ’cine-concerts’ and meetings devoted to music in cinema. So it is with great joy that the festival may welcome this filmmaker, who successfully connects music and cinema,” stated the festival.